On the subject of Nerds and being a Nerd

I have to wonder about people sometimes, especially those who self-identify (and if you don't put yourself into a vaguely-defined sub-cultural identity, it's a good bet any number of people are already doing it for you.) but the one I find most confusing is the one, if one is applicable, to which I most presume to belong, namely Nerds.

As someone who has long identified as a nerd, (and frequently been called one throughout my life) I think I'm more qualified than most to say what does and does not constitute a nerd/geek or whatever you like to think you are because you have a slightly more than passing interest in any given thing, but I find myself questioning if my identifying as such is really right, or even relevant.

For example, Superhero and Sci-fi fiction has made a huge transition in the last decade or so and is currently dominating much of mainstream pop culture (thanks in part to attractive men named Chris for those that way inclined, and for everyone else, the same stories and characters the "nerds" always knew were there, and some pretty great action scenes.)

Therefore, liking the Marvel movies does NOT make you a nerd, everyone likes the Marvel movies, but not having read the comics doesn't necessarily disqualify you, (since apparently the title of "nerd" is a badge of honour now and not the insult it was not more than 6 years ago at most) I've never read through a comic in my life (unless you count the odd manga, but even then it's only one or two.)

For context, let me tell you about some of the more “nerdy” things about me throughout my life, my earliest of note is this, at age 9, I had the entire first-generation 150 Pokédex completely committed to memory, (this was back before there were almost a thousand of the buggers and catching all of them was still a somewhat attainable goal) to the point that if you gave me any number from 1 to 150, I could tell you the corresponding Pokémon and whereabouts in the original Red/Blue releases it could be located, and in the case of exclusives, which version you needed to get it, no one I knew bothered getting any guide, and even those who had discovered this function of the internet at the time normally just came and asked me anyway. I was what could justifiably be called a Pokémon master…Until I discovered Dragon Ball Z and lost interest in Pokémon altogether, I’ve forgotten most of that information over the years, I vaguely remember Voltorb being at number 100 and the first 9 being the starters and their respective evolutions in the order of Grass, Fire, Water, but I digress.

As mentioned earlier I lost interest in Pokémon when I discovered Dragon Ball Z, which gave birth to a new obsession that endures to this very day, to the point that I have felt it necessary to establish mathematically to my own satisfaction that Super Saiyan God is indeed much, much stronger than the now defunct Super Saiyan 4. The characters were all impressively realised (even if everyone but Goku basically got the shaft in terms of usefulness) and for a show airing on Cartoon Network it was pretty brutal in its depictions of violence. Also Cell was the first villain in anything that I found genuinely scary, seriously, watch the scene where he first appears carrying that guy then impales and drinks him through his tail again, legit freaked me out the first time I saw that. As I said this obsession is one that never left me, and probably never will.

So you’ve read about just 2 of the many obsessions I have had, (just a quick mention of a third, if you can name a professional wrestler, I can probably tell you what their real name is) and I haven’t even mentioned Doctor Who yet, but I won’t punish you with more details, my point is that I’ve grown to see myself as something of a nerd, but I wonder if I arrived at that conclusion independently, or if I have simply been forced to internalise that idea through being completely unable to get away from it.

Writing this I start to wonder if there's any point in identifying as a "nerd" or anything else for that matter, or if pretending to do so is just a lie thrust upon us by the companies that make the things we love to better segment audiences and inspire brand loyalty. (Also a demographic for other companies to cynically target and exploit while simultaneously insulting. *Cough* Big Bang Theory *Cough*) With the internet age being what it is, everyone is free to just like what they like, nobody else even has to know.

So in summation, and in saying this I speak both to the genuinely passionate about their chosen fiction, and to those who think knowing who Superman is gives you geek cred (it doesn’t it means you are a person who is alive in the 21^st century) if you’ve ever been called a nerd or geek or asked if you were one, to the question “Am I a nerd?” I would answer “Does it matter?” my answer to both…Not really.